Mid-Continent Conference Tournament Recap
First Round
No. 1 Oral Roberts 82, No. 8 Southern Utah 59
The top-seeded Golden Eagles took care of business in its first round matchup with Southern Utah. Oral Roberts jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead en route to a dominating victory. They were led by sophomore Ken Tutt’s 18 points, which included four three-pointers. Southern Utah struggled mightily on offense, turning the ball over 20 times and shooting just 40% for the contest. They were led by two bench players, Lubor Olsovsky and Jason Baker, who each contributed 13 points.
No. 7 Oakland 67, No. 2 UKMC 63
Every Cinderalla run starts somewhere, and for seventh-seeded Oakland it started with the defeat of UKMC. Led by sophomore Rawle Marshall’s 25 points, the Grizzlies earned just their 10th win of the season. The Golden Grizzlies were able to outlast the Kangaroos with solid defense and superior ball handling. The Kangaroos were held to just 39% shooting and committed 13 turnovers, compared to just seven for the Golden Grizzlies. UMKC finished the season 16-12.
No. 4 IUPUI 70, No. 5 Western Illinois 62
The four vs. five seed lived up to the close matchup it was billed to be. Both teams played well, but IUPUI was able to outlast Western Illinois behind excellent guard play. Junior Brandon Cole and senior Akeem Clark combined for 41 points in the victory. Western Illinois did all it could to keep pace, dropping 11 three-pointers on the Jaguars. The Leathernecks were led by T.J. Gray, who hit five three-pointers and finished with 15 points.
No. 6 Chicago St. 72, No. 3 Valparaiso 67
The second upset of the first round was a big one as Chicago State, who had just eight wins all season, stunned defending champ Valpo with a deadly inside-outside combination. Sophomore Royce Parran manned the outside game, scoring a game-high 23 points while connecting on 5 of 8 shots and an amazing 10 free throws. Freshman Jeleel Akindele, who measures 7-foot-1, scored 19 points in the post. The combo enabled Chicago State to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit. Valpo was led by junior forward Dan Oppland, who scored 20 points in the loss.
Semifinals
No. 1 Oral Roberts 80, No. 4 IUPUI 69
The Golden Eagles tallied their 25th win of the season in surprisingly easy fashion over IUPUI in the semifinals. Oral Roberts jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead and were never truly threatened in the contest. Three players logged double digits in points for the Golden Eagles, led by sophomore Caleb Green’s 22. Green added 7 rebounds in the win. Freshman George Hill led the Jaguars’ scoring attack with 15 off the bench. IUPUI finished the season 16-13.
No. 7 Oakland 56, No. 6 Chicago St. 53
In a battle of first-round upset winners, Oakland prevailed in a tight game. Going just seven deep, the Golden Grizzlies were able to squeak by the Cougars primarily behind some solid free throw shooting. Oakland was able to get to the line 11 more times than the Cougars and made 7 more attempts. Rawle Marshall again led the charge for the Golden Grizzlies with 17 points, including 7 of 8 from the line. The Cougars were led by Tony Weeden with 18 points. The inside-outside duo of Parran and Akindele were completely shut down, combining for just 19 points. Akindele was a miserable 1 for 8 from the free throw line.
Championship
No. 7 Oakland 61, No. 1 Oral Roberts 60
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies ended an improbable tournament run with an improbable shot. Pierre Dukes buried a three from the left corner with just over a second left in Oakland’s Mid-Continent Conference title win that secured a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 12-18 squad. It was Dukes’ only shot of the second half as he finished with 7 points for the game.
The seventh-seeded Golden Grizzlies are in the tournament for the first time since becoming a Division I program eight seasons ago. It’s the fourth straight season a team with a losing record has made the NCAA Tournament. Oakland (Mich.) took possession after Jonathan Bluitt hit one of two free throws to make it 60-58. Rawle Marshall passed it to Dukes on the left side, and his shot splashed through the net.
The Golden Grizzlies started the season 0-7 against a murderous schedule that included Illinois, Xavier and Missouri. But they finished the season with five straight wins, three in the conference tournament.
Oral Roberts was led by Caleb Green’s 13 points. The 25-7 Golden Eagles don’t figure to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
